Because of the hegemony of fundamentalist religion in the United States, this country has been among the most… — Jerry A. Coyne

Tiny, nonfunctional wings, a dangerous appendix, eyes that can’t see, and silly ear muscles simply don’t make sense if you think that species were specially created.

Now, science cannot completely exclude the possibility of supernatural explanation. It is possible—though very unlikely—that our whole world is controlled by elves. But supernatural explanations like these are simply never needed; we manage to understand the natural world just fine using reason and materialism.

It’s clear that this resistance stems largely from religion. You can find religions without creationism, but you never find creationism without religion.